08:01 AM CDT on Thursday, April 20, 2006

By Vicente Arenas / 11 News

Click to watch video

There was a crackdown Wednesday and dozens of illegal immigrants were arrested.

Many of those same immigrants were released just hours later

It was the last thing they, and their families, expected.

"They are not criminals. All they're here for is to work for their family," said Mariz Gomez.

And that's what they were doing making wooden pallets at two different locations when federal agents swooped in and took nearly 70 suspected undocumented workers to this federal detention center in north Houston.

KHOU-TV

Dozens of illegal immigrants were arrested then released hours later.

"Just for them to come in here and to just throw them back to where they go. That's not right for them," said Gomez.

Families 11 News spoke with feared the men mostly from Central American countries would be deported.

But that was hardly the case.

Just five hours later Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents began releasing the undocumented workers.

"I was surprised by the quick release," said a man who asked that his face not be shown. Several others made the same request.

It is not clear why these immigrants were released so quickly but workers say it may be because the 950-bed facility was severely overcrowded.

The workers say they were told the facilities were full. Sources inside the facility say the same thing and that agents have been ordered to release immigrants as soon as possible.

Some of the workers say there were other problems Wednesday.

They said computers went down and agents had to scribble information, in one case, failing to write in a court date altogether.

The men we spoke with promised to show up for their immigration hearings, still finding it hard to believe they were released so soon.